U.S. Department of Defense awards UH Hilo biologist and research team nearly $2M to investigate Indo-Pacific invasive species
Assistant Professor of Biology Natalie Graham received the collaborative award of $1.99 million to produce a predictive model for invasive terrestrial arthropod species in the Indo-Pacific.
By Susan Enright.
A University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo biologist and a collaborative research team were recently awarded nearly $2 million from the Department of Defense’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program to develop methods for mitigating the impact of invasive species through early detection using DNA and predictive modeling.
Natalie Graham, an assistant professor of biology who specializes in molecular ecology, received the collaborative award of $1.99 million to conduct a project titled, “A Predictive Model for Invasive Terrestrial Arthropod Species in the Indo-Pacific.”
“This project aims to address the urgent need for early warning capabilities for invasive terrestrial arthropod species that threaten biodiversity and Department of Defense operations in the Indo-Pacific,” says Graham, who runs the ʻElala Biodiversity Lab at UH Hilo.
A molecular ecologist, Graham’s primary research is in terrestrial arthropods found in the Hawaiian archipelago, which she studies to better understand what action should be taken to mitigate human impacts in the most vulnerable ecosystems. She does this through investigating how the structure of biological communities change over time, in particular, how anthropogenic changes are altering species interactions and potentially driving communities past ecological tipping points.
“I exploit the natural occurrence of age-structured terrains on the Hawaiian archipelago that represent communities in an assembly continuum at sites dating from 44 years to 5.5 million years in geological age,” says Graham about her research.
- Profile story: UH Hilo molecular ecologist Natalie Graham studies arthropods found in the Hawaiian archipelago (UH Hilo Stories, Sept. 3, 2024)
The upcoming Department of Defense project, which will begin in January, is collaborative with the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, a research center based in Illinois that develops technologies for the DoD. Principle investigator of the research project is Mark D. Johnson who is based at the Champaign, Illinois lab. Johnson specializes in the use of molecular tools to understand species biodiversity, community and population ecology, and conservation ecology particularly for threatened, endangered, and invasive species. Other co-investigators with Johnson and Graham on the project are from University of California, Berkeley; Virginia Tech; Northern Arizona University; UH Mānoa; and the United States Geological Survey.
The upcoming project has several aims
The research team will produce a DNA barcode reference library for Indo-Pacific arthropods; Graham is currently working on building a DNA barcode reference library for arthropods of the Hawaiian Islands. This would generate DNA sequences for the major endemic insects and also the major pest species.
“This DNA reference library will help with my community level analyses as well as ongoing work of others to understand bird and bat diets, and other species interactions,” explains Graham about her current ongoing project. “For example, I am using DNA sequencing of arthropod communities to capture their biotic associations (species interactions) with plants across spatial, temporal, and disturbance gradients,” she explains.
“I am also using environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling as a means to quickly determine species interactions, for example, molecular spider gut content analysis or pollination studies from washing flowers for eDNA,” she adds.
In the upcoming DoD project, Graham and the research team also will conduct a horizon scan exercise using arthropod trait and distribution records to identify potential invasion threats and biosecurity priorities.
In addition, the team will work on predictive modeling for the colonization and establishment of potential invasive species on Indo-Pacific islands with DoD installations, and quantifying their possible environmental and economic impacts.
“By developing a comprehensive DNA reference library and predictive models, we aim to pinpoint potential threats and enhance biosecurity measures to protect sensitive island habitats, which are increasingly vulnerable to biodiversity loss and invasive species,” says Graham.
Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
